Hi all, Pete here. I am part of a conservation team along the great ocean road in Victoria, Australia. If you would like an ID challenge, I'll post some plants I am stuck with! The first is this shocker, a recent arrival invading sensitive saltmarsh veg. It has a triplet of small serrated leaves, small yellow flowers and globular pods. Sorry not much to go on but most of our weeds are international so maybe you are familiar with it. Regards
Looks like it may be one of the birdsfoot trefoil species (genus Lotus). It haven't seen one with the toothed edge to the foliage like yours but someone else may be able to narrow down the range of possibilities.
Thanks a lot Geoff, that is definitely on the right track. It seems to be a recent arrival here getting into the dune systems as well.
I think it my be a Melilotus sp. The only one I can find a reference to with such short inflorescences is M. siculus, introduced in South Australia as a salinity-tolerant pasture plant! See http://www.sardi.sa.gov.au/pastures/annual_pastures/clover/?SQ_DESIGN_NAME=printer_friendly
That is extremely interesting and looks like the culprit. If it was introduced some years ago in S.A. that would explain the recent arrival here. Here is a copy of their invasive potential study. If it is the same and it looks likely, then this plant is smothering sensitive saltmarsh Veg - specifically Sarcocornia quinqueflora, important forage for the critically endangered orange bellied parrot. I'll follow this one up. http://www.futurefarmonline.com.au/...onmental-weed-risk-analysis-melilotus-siculus.
